Feeler mechanism for looms



Patented @ein 5,- iii-922.

QFFICE.

MELVIN L. STONE, OF LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 DRAPER CORPORA- TION, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

Application filed August 24, 1921.

To ZZ `whom it may concern Be it known that I, MELvIN L. STONE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lawrence, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Feeler Mechanism for Looms,

vention is of that general type wherein a feeler is moved in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle when the filling carrier or bobbin in the shuttle has been substantially exhausted of filling.

Then the replenishment is effected, the old filling carrier or bobbin is ejected from the shuttle, and a new filling carrier With a supply of filling is placed in the shuttle.

The filling which remains on the old filling carrier or bobbin when it is ejected, constitutes waste, and on the other hand, if the filling carrier or bobbin becomes entirely denuded of filling before it is ejected andv replaced by a full filling carrier or bobbin, thin places are liable to be made in the cloth.

The feeler mechanism, therefore, must be sensitive either to the presence or substantial absence of filling in the shuttle, and since minimum waste consistent with proper production of cloth requires that the lling carrier shall have a few turns of' filling on it when it is ejected, the sensitiveness of the feeler must be such as to prevent its action until `the critical point is reached, and then to insure its operation in calling for a change of filling.

The present invention provides a feeler mechanism of the penetrating and impinging type, wherein the impinging feeler is moved longitudinally of the shuttle when the penetrating feleler is moved by engagement with the surface of the bobbin or filling carrier. In carrying this feature of the invention into effect. the penetrating and im inging feelers are mounted on a carrier which is moved towards and from the frdnt of the Serial No. 494,886.

loom, and on each detecting beat the penetrating feeler penetrates the filling, and the impinging feeler also meets the filling so long as a working supply is present in the shuttle. iVhen, however, the filling approaches substantial exhaustion, the penetrating feeler will be struck by the more dense surface of the filling carrier or bobbin, and in case there is not sufficient filling in front of the impinging feeler as the lay beats up, the penetrating feeler will act through a displacer to effect movement of the impinging lfeeler longitudinally of the shuttle, and thereby set into action a train of mechanism for effecting replenishment of filling.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a. feeler mechanism embodying the present invention, and also showing a shuttle containg a work- .ing supply of filling, and the action of the feeler as the lay beatsup;

Fig. 2 is a plan View similar to that of Fig. 1, showing the same parts when, on a detecting beat the filling is approaching substantial exhaustion;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to that of Figs. 1 and 2, showing .the action of the feeler mechanism when the filling is substantially exhausted on a detecting beat;

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the feeler mechanism, some of the parts heilig broken away; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional View on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

The feeler mechanism of the present invention may be associated with a train of mechanism for effectingl replenishment of filling, but such train of mechanism is not herein fully shown and described, because it forms no special part of the present invention, and is well known in the art. Therefore, only that portion of the train of' mechanism which co-operates with the `feeler mechanism of the present invention is shown.

The feeler is mounted for movement towards and from the front of the loom, and in the present instance, it is supported by a feeler stand 1 which may be secured to the loom frame by means of the screws 2 which pass through a slot 3 formed in the flange portion of the feeler stand. The feeler carrier 4 is mounted in the stand 1 its for movement towards and from the front of the loom, and in the present instance is formed as a slide having a stem portion 5 which extends through an opening in the front portion of the feeler stand. Vithin the stand 1 as usual in this type of feeler carrier, there is a spring 6 which normally acts upon the feeler carrier 4 to hold it in rearward position. An appropriate shoulder or stop 7 may conveniently limit the rearward movement of the feeler carrier under the dictates of the spring 6.

The feeler carrier 4 has mounted thereon a penetrating feeler and also an impinging feele'r, the latter being mounted on the feeler carrier for movement in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle. A good form of the penetrating feeler is indicated in the drawings as comprising a pointed pin 8 which extends rearwardly from a slide 9 mounted in the bearings 10 formed aspart of or secured to the feeler carrier 4. It may be desirable in some instances to prevent rotative movement of the penetrating feeler slide 9 in its bearings 10, and one convenient means to this end is indicated in Fig. 4, wherein the penetrating feeler 9 is fiattened and has a cap piece within the bearings held in co-operative relation with the feeler by the set screws 12. The provision of means for preventing turning of the penetrating feeler is an extra precaution, and is not always needed.

The impinging feeler is mounted upon the fee-ler carrier for movement in a direction 'longitudinally of the shuttle, and in the present instance, the feeler carrier is provided with a guideway substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shuttle, and the impinging feeler is mounted for movement in the guideway. The guideway is preferably formed as a dove-tail slot 13, Fig. 4, which extends crosswise of the feeler carrier 4, and the impinging feeler 14 has a dove-tail portion 15 which rides in a slot 13, the construction being such that the impinging feeler may move transversely of the feeler carrier, or in other words, in a' direction longitudinally of the shuttle.

A feature of thel present invention provides that the impinging feeler shall be restrained from movement in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle on a detecting beat when` the working supply of filling is present in the shuttle opposite the impinging feeler, notwithstanding the penetrating feeler may be struck by the surface of the filling carrier or bobbin, and for this purpose the impinging feeler is provided with a series of teeth 16 which engage the filling in the shuttle on a detecting beat, and sink more or less into the filling, so that the impinging feeler is held from functioning movement in'a direction longitudinally of the shuttle as the tillng approaches substantial exhaustion, but before substantial exhaustion is actually reached, a condition graphically represented in Fig. 2.

Movement of the impinging feeler longitudinally of the shuttle in .l accordance with the present invention, is effected through the action of the penetrating feeler which, when the penetrating feeler is moved frontwardly on the feeler carrier or relatively to the impinging feeler, operates a displacer which .tends tomove the impinging feeler longitudinally of the shuttle, and effects such movement only when the filling opposite the impinging feeler is substantially exhausted.

The penetrating feeler is normally held in its rearward feeling position, as indicated in the drawings, by means of a spring 17, one end of which bears against a collar 18 fixed to the penetrating feeler, and the other end 19 of which finds a seat against the front bearing 12.

As shown, the impinging feeler 14 is actuated from the penetrating feeler through the displacer, and in the present instance, the impinging feeler 14 has an upstanding pin 20 which engages the biturcated end of a lever 21 pivoted at 22 upon the feeler carrie-r 4. The frontwardly extending portion of the lever 21 constitutes an actuator 23, the end portion 24 of which is adapted to strike or engage a transmitter 25 when the actuator is in operative position due to the impinging feeler having been moved by the displacer in a. direction longitudinally of the shuttle.

A springr 26, Fig. 5, is utilized for normally holding the impinging feeler in its initial feeling position. As shown, the spring 26 has a portion coiled about the pivotal support 22 which connects the lever 21 with the feeler carrier, and the end 27 of the spring is engaged with the rearwardly extending portion of the lever 21, and normally holds the rear portion of the lever 21 against the stop pin 28, with the impinging feeler .14 in` its normal feeling position.

The impinging feeler displacer, in the present instance of theinvention, comprises an arm 29 which is extended from the penetrating feeler 9 and engages the laterally projecting portion 30 of the lever 21. The contacting portions of the arm 29 and the projection 30 may be provided with cam surfaces 31 and 32, the construction being such that when the penetrating feeler is moved rontwardly by engaging the dense surface of the filling carrier or bobbin. it will tend to effect movement of the impinging feeler in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle through the action of the displacer. If at Such times, however, aworking supply of filling is carried by the shuttle opposite the impinging feeler 14, as indicated in Fig. 2, the teeth of the impinging feeler will engage the lling, and will prevent full movel merit of the impinging feeler longitudinally of the shuttle in response to the penetrating feeler, and on frontward' movement of the feeler carrier, the end 24 of the actuator willI pass the end of the transmitter 25k without actuating it. `When, however, the filling has become so far exhausted that the few turns remaining on the filling carrier,as indicated in Fig. 3, are unable to resist the tendency to `movement 'of the impinging feeler longition, it will be observed that tudinally of the shuttle due to the frontward movement of the penetrating feeler, then the impinging feeler will move into the position indicated in Fig. 3 on a detecting beat, and the end 24 of the'actua-tor will engage and move the transmitter 25, and through a well known form of mechanism, effect replenishment of filling.

The shuttle 33 may be of the usual type for supporting a filling carrier'or bobbin 34, as by means of the usual holding jaws 35 and the bobbin rings 36, and it mayl also have its front wall slotted at 37 to permit the penetrating and impinging feelers to enter the shuttle on each detecting beat and perform their feeling functions.`

F rom the construction described as one good practical embodiment of the inventhe penetrating feeler tends to effect movement of the impinging feeler ina direction longitudinally of the shuttle when the penetrating feeler engages the surface of the filling carrier or bobbin on a detecting heat, butthat the impinging feeler is held from responding to the action. of lthe penetrating feeler as long as sufficient filling'is contained in the, shuttle opposite the impinging feeleron a-detecting beat, so that the teeth of the impinging feeler may be held by the filling and prevent full movement of the impinging feeler longitudinally of the shuttle. When the filling has reached a degree of substantial exhaustion, however, as indicated in Fig. 3, the few remaining coils of filling are unable to prevent movement of theimpinging feeler longitudinally of the shuttle in response to the call of the penetratin feeler, and filling replenishment will bee ected as hereinbefore described.

iVhat is claimed is :-,l

1. ln a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a penetrating and an impinging feeler mounted for simultaneous Inovement frontwardly on a detecting beat until the filling is substantiall. exhausted whereupon the penetrating eeler engages the more dense-surface of the filling carrier and is moved frontwardly relatively to the impinging feeler, an actuating device thatis moved by the penetrating feeler when it is engaged by the surface ofthe filling carrier. on a detecting beat for effecting. movement ofthe impinging feeler in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle, andmeans for replenishing the filling when the impinging feeler responds to the actuating device on a detecting beat. I

2. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of an impinging feeler mounted for movement longitudinally of the shuttle,t a penetrating feeler which is mounted to penerate the filling on a detecting beat and move frontwardly in unison with the impinging feeler and to be engagedl by the p more dense filling carrier as the filling approaches a condition of substantial exhaustion, and to be moved frontwardly relatively to the impinging feeler, means connected to the penetrating feeler which tends to move the impinging feeler longitudinally of the shuttle when the penetrating feeler engages the filling carrier on a detecting beat and is held from effecting such movement of the impinging feeler until the filling opposite the impinging feeler` is substantially exhausted'.

3. A feeler mechanism for-looms, comprising, in combination, a feeler carrier mounted for movement towards land from the front of the loom, a penetrating feeler mounted on the carrier, an impinging feeler also mounted on the feeler carrier for-movement in a direction longitudinally of thev shuttle, both of said feelers being moved frontwardly in unison by' working supply of filling on detecting beats and moved differentially frontwardly when the filling -is substantially exhausted and the penetrat- ,displace the impinging feeler in a direction longitudinally oftheshuttle when the penetrating feeler is struck by the surface of the filling carrier on a detecting beat and held from'eflecting such displacing movement of the impinging feeler by engagement of the impinging feeler with the filling until the filling opposite the impinging feeler is substantially exhausted.

4. A feeler mechanism for looms, comprising, in combination, a penetrating feeler which penetrates the filling on each detecting beat and engages the surface of the filling carrier when the filling approaches substantial exhaustion, an impinging feeler movable ina direction longitudinally of the shuttle and having teeth which engage and sink into the filling on a detecting beat and hold the impinging feeler from movement longitudinally of the shuttle until the filling .opposite the impinging feeler is substantial- `more dense surface of the bobbin when the filling is substantially exhausted to effect frontward movement of the penetrating feeler relative to the impinging feeler, and means actuated by the penetrating feeler for effecting movement of the other feeler in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle when lthe filling is substantially exhausted on a detecting bea-t.

6. In a feeler mechanism for looms, a toothed feeler mounted for movement in a direction longitudinallyv along the filling carrier and held from such movement by engagement with the filling` on a detecting beat until the filling is substantially exhausted, a penetrating feeler which penetrates the filling on a detecting beat and then moves frontwardly in substantially unchanged relation with the toothed feeler and by engagement with the more dense filling carrier when the filling approaches exhaustion is given a. frontward movement with relation to the toothed feeler, and means forcausing the relative frontward movement of the penetrating feeler to effect movement of the toothed feeler longitudinally along the filling carrier.

7. 1n a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler carrier movable towards and from the front of the loom, a penetrating feeler mounted on the carrier, an impinging feeler mounted on the carrier for movement therewith and also in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle and having a connected actuator, a displacer connected to the penetrating feeler and rendered effective to move the impinging feeler longitudinally of the shuttle and operatively position the actuator when on a detecting beat the penetrating feeler is struck by the more dense surface of the filling carrier and is given an abnormal movement relative to the' impinging feeler and the filling is substantially exhausted.

8. A feeler mechanism for looms, comprising, an impinging feeler that is moved frontwardly on each detecting beat and is mounted for movement in a direction longitudinally of .the shuttle, an actuator that is controlled as to its operation by movement of the impinging feeler lon itudinally of the shuttle, a penetrating fee er that has a normal frontward movement with the impinging feeler when a working supply filling is in the shuttle on a detecting beatA and is abnormally displaced frontwardly relative to the impinging feeler by contact with the advancing filling carrier when the filling is substantially exhausted on a detecting beat, a displacer operated by the abnormal relative .movement of the penetrating and impinging feelers for moving the impinging feeler longitudinally of the shuttle, and a. transmitter that is actuated by the operatively-positioned actuator. 9. In a feeler mechanism for looms. the combination of a feeler carrier that is moved frontwardly on each detecting beat, a penetrating feeler yieldingly mounted on the feeler carrier, an impinging feeler mounted on the feeler carrier for movement therewith and also in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle, both of said feelers having a normal frontward movement on a detecting beat until the filling is substantially exhausted and then having an abnormal relative movement due to the engagement of the penetrating feeler with the more dense surface of the filling carrier an impinging feeler displacer which tends to move the impingingr feeler longitudinally of the shuttle when the penetrating feeler is abnormally displaced frontwardly by contact With the advancing lling carrier on a detecting beat, an actuator which is operatively positioned by the displaced impinging feeler, and a transmitter adapted to be operated by the actuator.

10. ln'a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler carrier that is moved frontwardly on each detecting beat, a penetrating feeler mounted on the feeler carrier, an impinging feeler mounted on the feeler carrier for sliding movement in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle, an actuator connected to the impinging feeler to be operatively positioned thereby when the impinging feeler is moved on the feeler carrier 1n a direction longitudinally of the shuttle, a transmitter Which is operated by the operatively positioned actuator, and an impinging feeler displacer which effects movement of the impinging feeler longitudinally of the shuttle when the penetrating :teeler is moved relatively to the feeler carrier by Sie advancing filling carrier on a detecting eat.

11. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler carrier having a guideway extending in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle, an impinging feeler mounted for sliding movement in the guideway and having filling engaging teeth, an actuator connected to the impinging feeler, a transmitter, a penetratin feeler mounted on the feeler carrier, an a displacer actuated by the penetrating feeler when it is moved frontwardly on the feeler carrier on of a detecting beat for moving the impinging feeler longitudinally of the shuttle and operatively positioning the actuator.

l2. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the

combination of a feeler carrier, a penetrat-4 ing and an impinging feeler both mounted on the feeler carrier for normal movement together on each detecting beat, and an impinging feeler displacer rendered effective by abnormal rontvvard movement of the penetrating feeler relative to the feeler carrier by engagement with the advancing lilling carrier on a detecting beat for moving the impinging feeler on the feeler carrier in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle When the illingis substantially exhausted opposite the implnging .feelen 13. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the

combination of a penetrating and an impinging feeler mounted for movement toward the front of the loom in normal relative positions on 'a detecting beat until the filling is substantially exhausted whereupon the feelers are caused to move relatively in a frontward direction into abnormal relation by engagement of the penetrating feeler with the more dense surface of the filling carrier, and means actuated by such abnormal frontward relative movement of the feelers for effecting movement of the impinging feeler longitudinally of the shuttle.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

MELVIN L. STONE. 

